Tire pressure control device



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TIRE PRESSURE CONTROL DEVICE Filed Sept. l0, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ri'l'lll'llllll/ Il, Il

l IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAQ /III A By Willy Kriayit er kurt 5 henger July 12, 1960 w. l. EKAMM ETAL TIRE PRESSURE CONTROL DEVICE Filed sept. 1o, 195e 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToRs, MnbaldLE Kamm. -W1lg Kr' audel BY: Kurt Staig'er' July 12, 1960 w. l. E. KAMM ETAL TIRE PRESSURE CONTROL DEVICE Filed sept.v 1o, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 WSN INVENTORJ, Wunibalcf I. E. Kamm July l2, 1960 w. l. E. kAMM ETAL 2,944,579

TIRE PRESSURE CONTROL DEVICE Filed Sept. 10, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

` Wunhnld I- E-Kamm BY willig Kraueh Kurt. Sia-iger* 'in the check valve will seal the air within the tire.

PatedJuly 12, 1960 United SwesPaf-enf tice 2,944,519 TIRE PRESSURE CONTROL DEVICE Wunibald L E. Kamm, Stuttgart, Germany, Kurt Staiger, Indianapolis, Ind., and Willy F. Krautter, Portland, Pa., assignors to the United lStates of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army lined sept. 1o, 195s, ser.N0.16o,277

s claims; (c1. 152-416) y (Granted under Titlev35,'U.S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention relates to improvements'in tire pressure controls, particularly tire pressure controls of the centrally regulated type whereby the `tires of a vehiclemay be inilated or deated during operation of the vehicle.

It is well known that the traction of vehicles on soft terrain may be greatly improved by decreasing the pressure within the tires thereby increasing the tire supporting surface, and also that a decreased tire pressure will provide greater riding comfort on rough roads. Conversely, Ihigh tire pressures decrease rolling resistance and tire carcass .temperatures on smooth roads thereby increasing economy and safety. Therefore, means have been pro-` posed for changing the tire pressure in accordance with the type of surface upon which the vehicle is travelling, and many of these'means are of the type which-permit the tire pressure to berregulated whilethe vehicle is in motion. i j

'One of these arrangements provides for connecting the tire tube directly to 4a controllable compressed airY source within thevehicle lby means of conduits andsealings`truc`A ture between the axles yand hubs. Theprimary disadduring deflation when there is little pressure diiference between the piston and the tire tube, causing deation to be too slow for many purposes. Also, the low pressuren characteristics of this type `of system are largely dependent on the strength of the check valve spring of eachtire tube thereby producing v,uneven'minimum tire pressures vantage of this system lies in the fact'that holding'l the tire pressure `depends on theeliciencyof the sealingstructure, and, as the seals are subject to wear, vit is very difcombination valve.

cult to maintain an effective seal at all timesf Also,

there is the dangerof the tires collapsing if thesealing system or compressed air source' should completely fail.

`Another -tire pressure controlarrangement provides for a system of double conduits and double sealing boxes on each wheel connected to a special tire valve whereby compressed airr within one conduit opens or closes the valve while the Yair owing through the other conduit l of the invention.

inates or deflates the tire. Although this system prevents the air the tires from escaping Ydue to leaks in the sealing boxes, the use of double conduits, double sealing boxes and double controls make the system complicated land expensive. v

. A more practical arrangemennwhich eliminates the disadvantages of the above systems, uses asingle conduit vfor both opening and closing the tire valve'. and in-` ating or deflating'the tire tube by leaving the tire tube check valve Within the `valve stem rendering the tire pressure independent of leaks anywhere in the system. This system employs La ldilrerential piston or diaphragm 'placed -on'the tire stem in operative engagement with theV tube check valve. The sides of the dilierentialpiston are in 12 formedl to a lower portion l14. Portion 12 is provided f iluid connection such that air pressure appliedto one side of -the piston will 'also be applied to the otherside of -the piston, however, the difference ilu piston Varea will cause thev piston to move, thereby opening the check valve. The tire may be inilated by using a higher air pressure within the 4feeding line than is Vpresent in the tireVV tube, and to deflate the tireit is necessary to charge the feeding line with a pressure lessthan the tire pressure". If all pressure is withdrawn from the feeding line, the spring The primary disadvantages of this system are due to the check valve in the tire stem limiting the air flow, .especially I apparent from the if the springs of the tires are not matched, as the check Y valve spring will close thecheck valve when the `pressure* exerted by the diierential piston less than that exerted The invention pertains ttt-improvements in the. lastmentioned .type` tire pressure control system whereby improved operational characteristics are produced.

' An object of the invention is to produce a tire pressure control system wherein ination 4and deilation of the tire is rapidly achieved.

A further object of the invention is to designa tireoperating valve wherein the opening mechanism and check valve comprise a single unit. Y

Another object of the invention is to produce a combined-opening and check valve which is economical to manufacture and may be mounted on any tire stern Without modification to the stem. f

Yet another object of the invention is to produce a wherein..

.,Fig...v 1;,is across-section elevation of a combination valve utilized Aby .the tire control system.4 j Fig. 2 is a cross-section elevation of amodiiication o AFig.`3 is across-section of a type of sealing-means used with non-d1iving wheels employingy the tire control system. Y .Y Y Figs. 4,15 and 6 disclose various typesof sealing means used with driving wheels employing the tire control system Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the control lever and valves in the VVinilating position.

Fig'. 8Y is a schematic view ofv the Ycontrol lever Yand valves in the pressure reading position.

Pig. 9l is a schematic view of the control lever andV valves in the deflating position. Y

Fig. k10 is a schematic view of the control lever and valves in the exhausting position. n

1 The invention may be used with any type of pneumatic Vtired vehicle, and in the illustrated embodiment a. form of opening andY check combination valve'. is shown at'10, which is ofthe typeutilizedfvvith theinvention. Valve 1t) consists of a housing comprised of an upper portion with. an extending nipple V16 vonto whicha feed or pressure line mayJv-be connected, the .valve 10 may :be threaded to the top of a tire tube' -valve stem `15 by means of threaded orifice d8. l; ABefore the valve 19. isY attachedto the valve stem,ythe valve stem checkfvalve must .be` reg rmoved whereupon the orice 18 is screwed upon the valve stem'nntilthe stem engages sealing ring 20 to airtight connection. .Y v

YAdilferential piston 22. is supported within and 32. A Yspacer 34maintains lthe diaphrag'ms24 and 26 in spaced relation while the bore 36 will permit equal vform an 4combina-l vtion valve 10 and `consists of a'large diaphragm 24 and a small diaphragm 26 which are centrally held togetherA -by a tubular rivet type fastener 28 ,actingv on washers 30 y air pressure on both sides of piston 22. The periphery of the diaphragms 24 Vand 26 are spaced by a sheet metal spacer 38 and held in placeby housing portions 12 and 14, Which are assembled by `folding under lip 40. A vent 42 opens into the space 44 to prevent inconsistent performance due to air leaking into spaced@` and building up a pressure.

A valve seat support 46 is also held in place by the yassembling of housing portionsr12 and 14 and is formed with a valve seat 48, which is part of the check valve structure. A guide bracket 50 is mounted within housing portion .14 and serves to guide stem 52 which carries spring 54 biasing check valve 56 in engagement with valve seat 48. A contact 58 extends from the upper endiof stem 52 yfor engagement with piston 22 and is `formed with -air passages therein. The area of the air passages in fastener 2S, contact 58, support 46, bracket 56 and ring 20 are all greater than the area of the air passage of the tire tube valve stern 15, therefore, the rate of ilow of air is limited by the tube stem rather Ythan the combination valve 10. Y

The operation of combination valve is as follows:

After the valve stem check valve has been removed, valve 10 is threaded onto the valve stern 15, and a source of compressed air is attached to nipple 16. To inate the ltire an air pressure greater than that of the pressure within the tire is introduced into valve 10. The air will flow to both sides of piston 22, and, since the `area of diaphragm 24 is greater than that of diaphragm 26, the piston 22 will move downwardly toward contact 58. As contact y58 is displaced, the check valve 56 will be opened permitting the air to flow into the tire. When the desired tire pressure is obtained, the pressure of the air being introduced into valve 10 from the compressed air source is reduced -to atmospheric pressure by exhaust to the atmosphere as hereinafter described so as to return the pressure within valve 1t) to atmospheric, thereupon the spring 54 will close check valve 56 and the pressure Within the tire acting upon the area 66 of check valve 56 will keep check valve 56 seated. p

When it is desired to deflate the tire, air is introduced into valve 10 through nipple 16 at a pressure less than that of the tire but greater than atmospheric pressure whereby the large pressure area ofV diaphragm 24 will cause check valve 56 to be opened, since the pressure within valve v1t) is less than that of the tire, the air will `flow to the lower pressure differential deating the tire.

The spring 54 and area 60 are constructed such that when the air within the tire reaches the minimum safe operating pressure the check valve 56 will be closed and held shut even though there is pressurized air within valve 10. This is due to the pressure exerted by spring 54 and that of the air within the tire on area 6d being greater than the differential pressure exerted on piston 22 by the air from the compressed air source. This construction is especially important where one of the tires of the vehicle is leaking. Under these conditions the reduced pressure within the leaking ltire reduces the force required toiopen the'check valve 56 permitting air to be introduced into the leaking tire Without disturbing the pressure of the remaining tires. Tins would permit the leaking tire to share part of the vehicle load and prevent overloading the other tires until repairs can be made. This feature provides ,an effective safety Vmeasure not possible when the check valve is within the valve stem.

A modiiicationof the combination valve is shown in Fig. 2 wherein the operation is the saine as in valve 1b of Fig. l, however, a fewstructural design changes are present. Combination valve 16 comprises housing portions 12 and 14' Vwhich encompass a piston 22 which is composed of diaphragms 24 and 26' which are formed of a single piece of material; contact 5% is carried by piston 22 and upon pistondeliection is adapted to engage check valve 56. Check valve 56 is biased and guided in the same manner as the check valve 56 of Fig. 1. Valve seal 62 condepending from support 46.

tacts valve seat 48 which consists of an annular lip The construction of the check valve 56 and valve seat 4S of this modication minimize any tendency of the valve to stick and provide i a very accurate and sensitive pombination valve although this modification would be more expensive to manufacture than the valve of Fig. l. l

Figs. 3 through 6 illustrate various modications of sealing means used to conduct the air from the cornpressed air source to the rotating wheel and tire.

The embodiment of Fig. 3V illustrates means for conducting air to a non-driving wheel wherein wheel hub 64 is rotatably mounted on axle v66 by means of anti-friction bearings 68. The air is conducted through the axle, via conduits 7b, which are connected to the compressed air source and terminate in orice 72 which opens onto the surface of axle 66.

An annuiar recess 7d within hub 64 contains the seal'- ing means 75 which is comprised of concentric tubular sleeves 76 and 76 held in spaced relation by spacers Si?. Tube S2 provides an air passage through sleeves 76 and '78; rubber lip rings 2id, which are mounted Vto sleeve 78, provide the immediate seal between the hub 64 and axle 66. Lip rings 84 are inclined toward orifice 72 such that the air pressure will cause rings 84 to be pressed against axle 66 and maintain a tight sealing action. Resilient sealings rings 86 are held in place by retaining clip 8 and enclose recess 74 and ring 76 thereby creating an airtight chamber 94B.

The air is conducted from chamber 90 to coupling 92, via conduits 94, whereupon the air will be transferred to the wheel 96 and to the combination valve 1t) through conduit 98. Coupling 92 may consist of a rubber sleeve 16@ into which a nipple 162, supported by wheel 56, may be tted. Thus, the valve 10 will be in'cornmuni cation with a compressed air source when the wheelti is bolted to hub 64. 4

Fig. 4 discloses one typeof sealing structure which may be used with a driving wheel, wherein a hub 164 rotates about axlehousing 166. A fitting 168 permits an air hose'to beattached thereto such that air may flow through conduit 11@ to seal 1112,. Seal i12-is composed of-tubular rings 114 Vand 116 which surround axle 1155 and support a lip Vring 129. Passages 122 permit a dow of air through the rings E14 and 16 to the void between Y axle 11S and housing 166. VSealing rings 124 position seal 112 and together with lip lring 12h prevent air from escaping to the differential. The end of housing 196 is sealed by'an annular rubber gasket 126 which has a lip 128 formed thereon which will be pressed against the housing wall by air pressure within housing N6; A; hole 130 is bored in housing 166 to permit-communication from-the void between axle 113 and housing 1% and sealing means 75, which is of the type disclosed in Fig. 3. From-seal 75 the air will travel through conduit 132 to the wheel as shown in Fig. 3. f

A modification of sealing means for a drive wheel is shown in Fig. 5 where the axle housing 106 rotatably supports wheel hub 164. Air is introduced into seal 1112 in the same manner as the construction of Fig. 4, however, the air is prevented from escaping Vthrough the hub bearings by means of4 lip seal 134 and@ ring 136 which are v held in place by cover 138. Cover 13S is threaded as at 146 and may be longitudinally positioned by operating nut 142 which is rotatably mounted on support 144. The air is thus prevented from leaking through the bearings and is fed, via conduits M6, to coupling 92.

Another seal'modication is disclosed for a driving wheel in Fig. 6. The air is 'fed through the axle housing 106 by means of tting 1G81V and conduits 110 and is prevented from escaping to the dierential by annular sealing ring'MS. Seal ring 148 is madeoi' a resilient'material and'is formed with a lip 150 and shoulder 152 such that the seal 14S is held in place by the engagement of housing shoulder 154 with 4shoulder'152, andthe air Vpreiswithin the tires to prevent over-inflation.

sure surrounding axle 118 cause lip 150 to cling to axle'118 forming an airtight seal. The resilient .character of ring 148 will bias the lip 150 away from the axle 118 when the system is not under pressure thereby keep ing Wear to a minimum. Bearing 1 56 is rendered airtight by means of a seal 158. Seal 158 is also of the lip type and is mounted adjacent oil seal 160 by asheet metal cover 162. Conduit's 146 carry the air through hub 104 to coupling 9 2 asin Fig.' 5.V

Figs. 7 through 10 illustrate the control valves'for regulating the flow of air in various positions of operation and will be explained in operational sequence.V

Fig. 7 discolses the inflation operation whereinV conduit 164 supplies air from Vthe compressed air source to a variable flow intake valve 166 controllable'byV stem 168. Conduits 170 and 172 connect valve 166tovariab1e flow exhaust valve 174, which is operate'dby stern'176, whereby air may be exhausted to the atmosphere, via conduit 178. A pressure gage 180 is included in the system and is alixed to conduit `172 WhileY conduit 170 provides the connection to the combinationV tire valvesl'll, one of which is shown. A manually operable pivotally mounted lever 182 may be used to actuate stems 168 and 176.

When the handle 182 is raised, as in Fig. 7, stem 168 will Vbe depressed pressurizing the system, causing theY difthe check valve 56, permitting air to ilow into the tires,

' inating them.

During ination it is ynecessary to check the pressure Gaging is accomplished by moving handle 182 to the position shown in Fig. `8. In such case both valves 166 and f174rare closed and the static pressure ywithin conduitsf170- and 172 will be that equal to the pressure oftheltiresas the pressure within conduit 170 andvalve 10 will hold the check valves 56 open.

v may now be read from gage 180;

that'desired, the tires may be:A deflated byfmoving handle 182 tothe position illustratedin Fig. 9'. :"Duringthe dei ilation operation exhaust valve 174 is only partially opened 'whereby air pressure within conduit 170 and valve 10 is'slowly relieved. As explained previously, a reduced pressure in valve V10 will holdcheck valve 56 Aopen as longas the dierence in force exerted on diaphragms 24 and 26 is greater than the force exerted byrspring 54, therefore, the air pressure within conduit i170 and 172 Should-"the pressure within the tires e'higherfthan may be less thanrthe pressure of the tires and yet hold the air. will ow from the" tire through valve 174 and be The. pressure.` within @weer of the ring, thereby preventing unnecessary wear of. the sealingmeans. A

It is therfore'seen that the invention disclosesa's'implided tire pressure control system wherein the tires may be inated or Vdeilated Efrom a singleconduit andthat the tire is sealed dromthe control system except during operation of the system, thus leaks in the conduits or seals will net affect the tire pressure. i

The integration of the check valve with the opening andl closing piston structure achieves accurate and consistent performance at each tire as the area ofthe check valve and strength of the closing spring may be accurately maintained and will not vary with each tire. Also, the dimensions of the combination valve air passages are greater than the core of tire valve stem thereby permitting Y the maximum possible ilow of v-air into or out of theV tire.

The use of lip'typ'e seals' has special advantage with the disclosed system las the lips may be constructed so as to engage the moving element only when compressed air is introduced into the seal, therefore, as the control system of the invention is'pressurizedV only when the tires are being inilated or deated, the seals will be subject to wear fora mini-mum length of time.-

It is understood that'various modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the' invention, and the invention is not to be limited to the illustrated embodiments except as included in the appendingclaims.

1 A tire pressurecontrol system for a pneumatic tired vehicle comprising, in combination, rotatably mounted axles and wheel hubs, a compressed tire inflating gas source connected to axle andl Wheelhubpos'itioned intake andexhaust valved `conduit means, each/"of said conduit means formed in each of said axlesterminating in an orifice tormed in thesurface thereof, a .sealing struc# 'ture contained within a recess in each of said wheel hubs,

" `each sealing structureY including a set of axle encompassing annular'sealing rings axially positioned on both sides ofsaid orifice, lips on` s`aidfsealing rings projecting toward4 said oriiice, holding. rings positioning said sealing struc# ture within said recess,Y a coupling within a wheel sup'- porting flange yof each of said hubs connecting each of said recesses to a dilerentialvpressure tire attached combination tire opening and check valve assembly said 'as- Vsernbly Aincluding ahousing, means for attaching said housing to a tire stem,.a diierential piston constructed of a .large and a small diaphragm supported within said exhausted into `the 'air until valve i174 is closedor the Y' pressure WithinV conduit 170 and valve f10 reaches-the l point where the differential pressure acting on piston '22V can no longer counteract the force of spring 54at which time the-check Valve "56 will close and the tirelvvillfbeV sealed. As thevconduits 170 and '-172 are usually completely void of pressurized air except when the tire pressure control system is in operation, it is. necessary tofraise handle 182 to the inating position to pressurize the system and open valves 56 before the `d eation operation can be performed. Y Y

When the proper air pressure has been achieved in the housing, an open passage Y-i'ormed in said piston, whereby -gasrrnay surround said piston, and-a spring biased check' valve rsupported within said housing and engageable with said piston, whereby compressed gas 'from said source may dow-,through saidconduit Vmeans to said valve assembliesand pressure caused 'movement'l of said piston may open said check valve.

, 2. A tire pressure control system for a pneumatic tired vehicle comprising, in combination, rotatably mounted axles' and wheel hubs, 'a compressed tire inflatinggas source connected by axle and wheel hub positioned intake and exhaust valved conduit means in fluid Ycommunicatires, the handle -182 is moved to the position shown in i Fig. l0. In this position the stem 176 of'exhaustvalve 174 will be fully depressed allowing any pressurized air 'I'he -lack of air pressure within comtire opening and check valve assemblies,feach ofY said` conduit means formed ineach of said axles terminating hubs,` said sealing structure including a setof axle Aen,-

compassing Vannular sealing ringsV axially positioned on both -si-des of said orifice, lips on said sealing rings. probination valve 10, as the system is'exha-usted,will permitv jecting toward said orifice, holding lrings positioning said sealingv structure within said recess, a coupling Within a wheel supporting `lange'of each of said hubs connectingV to said` valve assemblies.

3. A tire pressure control system for a pneumatic tired vehicle comprising, in combination, rotatably mounted axles and Wheel hubs, a compressed tire inating gas source connected to axle and Wheel hub positioned intake and exhaust valved conduit means in iluid communication with tire attached dilerential pressure tire opening and checkV Valve assemblies, each of said tire opening and check valve assemblies including, ahousing, means for attaching said housing to a tire stem, a differential piston constructed of a large and a small diaphragm supported Within said housing, an open passage in said piston, whereby gas may surround said piston, and a spring biased check valve supported Within said housing and engageable with said piston, whereby pressure caused movement of said piston may open said check valve.

4. A tire pressure, control system for a pneumatic tired vehicle having non-driving and driving Wheel and axle assemblies, the non-driving Wheel and axle assembly including an axle and a Wheel on `a Wheel hub rotatably mounted on said axle, the driving Wheel and axle assembly including a rotatably mounted axle with a spaced axle housing `therefor and a wheel rotatable with said axle on a Wheel hub rotatably mounted on said housing, said system comprising, in combination, a compressed tire inating gas source, rst conduit means for said nondriving axle assembly including a selectively controllable intake and exhaust valve assembly operatively connecting said gas source and a differential pressure combination opening and check valve assembly adapted to be attached to a tire on said Wheel of said non-driving assembly, a first portion of said iirst conduit means being formed in said axle of said non-driving assembly and terminating in an orice in the surface of lthat axle, a sealing structure Within a recess of said wheel hub encompassing that axle on both sides of said ori'tice in said non-driving assembly, [and a second portion of said first conduit means formed in said wheel hub of said non-driving assembly Y in connected operative communication with said first portion through said recess and with said diierential pressure combination opening and check valve assembly, and second conduit means for said driving laxle assembly including a second selectively controllable intake and exhaust valve assembly operatively connecting said gas source and a second ditierential pressure combination opening and check valve assembly adapted to be attached to a tire on said Wheel of said driving assembly, said second conduit means also including a first conduit portion thereof extending from said source through said housing to a space between the latter and the respective trollably and selectively flow from 'said source through the respective Vsaid conduit means and valve assemblies.

5. A tire pressure control system for a` pneumatic tired vehicle having a rotatably mounted axle with a spaced axle housing therefor and a Wheel hub rotatably vmounted on said housing, said system comprising, in combination, a compressed tire inating gas source, and conduit means including an intake and exhaust valve assembly connecting said gas source in lluid communication with a differential pressure tire attached combination opening and check valve assembly, said conduit means also including a rst conduit portion extending through said housing to .a space between the latter and said axle, a `first seal in said space near said iirst conduit and having a resilient lip portion extending to said axle, a second seal -for said space spaced Vfrom said iii-.st seal and toward the Yend of said housing, said first and second seals delining a second conduit portion in said space, Vand a third conduit portion in said Wheel hub in iluid communication with said second conduit portion and said tire attached opening and check valve assembly, whereby compressed gas may flow vfrom said source through said conduit means and valve assemblies.

6. A tire pressure control system for a pneumatic tired vehicle having a Wheel and axle assembly including a rotatably mountedV axle with a spaced axle housing therefor, a Wheel hub rotatably mounted on said housing, and a Wheel mounted on said axle and Wheel hub, said system comprising, in combination, a compressed tire ini'lating gas` source and conduit means including a selectively controllable intake and exhaust valve assembly operatively connecting in Huid communication said gas source and a differential pressure combination opening and check valve assembly adapted to be attached to a tire on said wheel, said conduit means also including a irst conduit portion extending from said source through said housing to a space between the latter and said axle, a second conduit portion extending through said space, irst and second sealing means deiining said second Vconduit portion, and a third conduit portion ,extending through said Wheel hub and in connected fluid communication with said differential pressure opening and check valve assembly, said first, second and third conduit portions -being in sealed uid communication, whereby compressed gas may controllably ilow Ifrom said source through said conduit means and valve assemblies.

References @ited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,040,643 Darnley Oct. ,8, 1912 1,112,596 Y Burggraf Oct. 6, 191Ar 1,724,063 Anderson Aug. 13, 1929 1,855,101 Daneel Apr. 19, 1932 1,873,303 Langie Aug. 23, 1932 2,577,458 Gaiptman Dec. 4, 1951 2,634,784Y Fitch Apr. 14, 1953 t t i 

